Malfoy's Secret
by tiberius1
Summary: Lucius Malfoy possessed an incredibly powerful Dark artifact. What could possibly have possessed him to part with it? Set during Chamber of Secrets
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Like all my other recent posts, this story has been archived elsewhere previously. I hope that you enjoy this look at Chamber of Secrets for Lucius' POV. It was originally written for Potter Place variety challenge to incorporate a Minor Character and Missing Scenes.

Chapter 1

Lucius Malfoy mulled the conundrum of Harry Potter. The boy had returned to the wizarding world and seemed to be thriving. Draco had complained vociferously about Potter, from how he got away with rule breaking (including getting Draco in trouble over something to do with a Dragon), to how the teachers favored him, to how he was allowed to be on the Quidditch team as a first year.

He had expected most of this, after all Potter was a hero to the wizarding world even though he did nothing other than live. For that reason, Lucius had to modify Draco's attitude towards Potter. This was not a time to be anti-Potter.

It was a shame the boy hadn't been sorted into Slytherin. That would have made it much easier to befriend him. But now with the boy in Gryffindor that made things more difficult. Add to that the fact the Ministry had recently begun renewed searched for Dark artifacts. He had thought that period had ended years ago. After all, there was no reason for them to suddenly decide to start harassing citizens about their property.

He flipped the book in his hands. His master had given it to him years ago for safekeeping. It was a diary, a seemingly blank one, but Lucius knew better. After all, Lord Voldemort was a powerful wizard, and surely he would not entrust his words to a simple diary.

Lucius had not thought about this diary in years. It had sat in his locked desk drawer since he had received it. But for some reason, he had been taking it out to look at it recently. It was almost as though the book was calling to him. Once again, he flipped through the pages, knowing that he would see nothing on them.

On a whim, he picked up his quill and wrote on the first page. "What is this book?"

To his astonishment, the ink vanished into the pages, as though it was being absorbed. Lucius was about to close the book and stuff it in the drawer when he saw writing appear on the page, only this time it was not the same words he had written, nor was it his handwriting.

"This is the diary of Tom Riddle."

He stared in shock at the book. His father had told him how Tom Riddle had risen to power and become Lord Voldemort. He had in his possession Lord Voldemort's private diary. He was shaking in anticipation of what he could learn from this book.

New writing appeared. "Who are you?"

"I am Lucius Malfoy, one of your most loyal servants, my lord."

"Are you related to Abraxas Malfoy?"

"I am his son," Lucius wrote eagerly, trying not to drip ink on the pages.

"I wrote this when I was sixteen. Tell me what has happened since."

Lucius knew there was a great deal to tell his master. He also only knew of what transpired from the time he was recruited, but he would do his best to chronicle the Dark Lord's rise. "It will take time as there are many years to cover. It is 1993 currently. I will tell you what I know from when I entered your service in 1974."

Lucius spent the next three nights bringing the diary to date. Tom had asked for a little clarification along the way, but had mostly been content to absorb what Lucius wrote. He finished by explaining that Harry Potter was at Hogwarts.

"And what do you think about that?" Tom asked.

"I think it is a travesty that he survived while you were vanquished." Lucius still wasn't sure what happened that night, but the fact that his Dark Mark had only faded and not vanished meant that somewhere the Dark Lord was alive.

Lucius waited a long time before another message appeared. "Can you get this book to Hogwarts?"

"I can give it to my son," Lucius replied automatically.

"No. I need to go to someone in Potter's house."

Lucius wasn't entirely sure how he would get the book to a Gryffindor child, but he would find a way. "I will ensure that it happens." Lucius knew the wizarding world was weak. Fudge was already in his pocket, as were the Hogwarts' governors. They were currently all fawning over Potter as though a twelve-year-old boy could make a difference. He had already been making plans to assert more power behind the scenes, to find a way to bring Britain into more prominence within the wizarding world.

Now he only needed a way to deliver the book to a Gryffindor, one who would not be likely to bring the book to the attention of an adult. As a Governor, he knew which students were in Gryffindor, and he would use one of the younger students. When he took Draco to Diagon Alley before the school year started would be the perfect time to do this.

* * *

The Ministry was conducting raids on more and more people, and not just disreputable people. There were some pure-blood families having their homes raided. Lucius had already hidden his most precious Dark artifacts beneath the drawing room floor in a very well enchanted chamber – one that even Aurors should not be able to find, but he had quite a few that possessed no real value to him and would serve only to cause him trouble with the Ministry. He would take Draco by Borgin and Burke's to sell those before proceeding to Diagon Alley to purchase Draco's school things. He hated having to part with them as they were rather expensive, and he knew that Borgin would not give him full value for them, especially now, but he did need to get rid of them.

Tucking the diary in his pocket beside the list of items he intended to sell, he called for Draco so they could Apparate to Diagon Alley.

As he had expected, Borgin had been loathe to give him a fair price, but he felt he had made the best deal he could.

After leaving Knockturn Alley, he took Draco to buy a new broomstick. He found himself having a hard time maintaining his patience as Draco continued to go on about how Potter was receiving preferential treatment. Walking out of Quality Quidditch Supplies, he had finally had enough. "Now that you have your new broom, perhaps you can finally prove how you are better than Potter rather than expending so much effort whining about his preferential treatment. Your behavior is beneath being a Malfoy. We do not whine. We prove that we are better than everyone else. I had thought I had taught you better," he said sternly.

Draco looked abashed. "Yes, Father," he replied simply.

"Now, we shall get your schoolbooks and then return home." Lucius knew there would be plenty of people in Flourish and Blotts, and he was sure to be able to find someone there to whom he could slip the diary. After all, that fop Gilderoy Lockhart was going to be there and everyone would be paying attention to him, not to what Lucius might be doing.

Arriving at the store, he saw that he was correct. It was packed and everyone was focused on Lockhart. And of course Potter. The boy had done_nothing_ yet people revered him as a hero. A bright flash of red hair caught his attention, and he knew that he had found his mark. While the youngest Weasley had not yet been sorted, her entire family had been Gryffindor, and he had no doubt that she would be one as well. She was young and foolish, the perfect patsy. And noticing the tattered books in her cauldron, he found the perfect opening. After all, he had little respect for Muggle loving Arthur Weasley and reminding the man of his poverty was always good for entertainment and should take everyone's attention off of his hands while he slipped the diary into one of young Weasley's tattered texts.

* * *

It had been easier than he had thought to slip the book to young Weasley. Even the black eye was worth it, though he would have that healed as soon as he returned home. He had done as his master commanded: the diary was on its way to Hogwarts. Riddle had not seen fit to tell him why specifically he wanted the diary at Hogwarts, and Lucius had long ago learned that questioning the Dark Lord to excess was not prudent.

Draco started to open his mouth to say something, but Lucius shot his son a look telling him that silence was his best course of action now. Lucius wanted to return home so that evidence of the common brawl he had participated in would not be noticed. Upon arriving at the Apparition point, he grabbed Draco's arm a little harder than he should have. He then left his son to practice on his new broom while he went to his office to consider what would happen to him now. Surely he would be rewarded when the Dark Lord's plan succeeded.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lucius read the letter in his hand. He, like all the governors, had received an update about what was happening at Hogwarts. At first he had not given a second thought to the squib caretaker's cat being petrified, but now that a student had also been petrified, he began to wonder – could this be the work of Riddle's diary? After all, it had been a Muggle-born who had been attacked.

And there was the mystery of the message that had been left when the cat was attacked: "Enemies of the heir beware. The Chamber of Secrets has been opened." That made Lucius strongly suspect it was the work of the diary, but how? Rumor said that the Chamber had been opened when his father had been at Hogwarts, which was coincidentally when Riddle had been at Hogwarts. Could the Dark Lord be Slytherin's heir? That oaf Hagrid had been implicated in the attacks, but he had never been convicted. The attacks had stopped and once again the Chamber returned to the realm of legend.

Owls flew feverishly amongst the school governors. He was forced to show concern, though he did try to point out that Filch was incredibly unpopular with the students and that they had been playing pranks on him for years. As to the Creevey boy, he had to be a little more delicate, reminding the governors that magical accidents routinely happened at Hogwarts, that it was likely that whoever had developed the means of petrifying the cat had decided to try it on a person. Creevey had merely been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

For the time being, that seemed to satisfy his fellow governors. There was no sign of panic from Dumbledore or the other teachers at Hogwarts, though many parents were receiving letters from their children asking about the Heir of Slytherin and the Chamber of Secrets – something seemingly no one could answer.

All of that changed when Lucius received a flurry of owls one evening. One was from Draco stating that Potter had spoken Parseltongue and that now people were thinking he was the heir of Slytherin – an idea that both Malfoys found preposterous. Another was from Dumbledore reporting a second attack on a student – this time Justin Finch-Fletchley – another Muggle-born, though Finch-Fletchley did come from a prominent Muggle family. The rest were from the other members of the Board, most of who seemed to be in a state of panic.

Malfoy decided that convening the school governors could no longer be put off and sent owls to the other governors calling a meeting for Monday, which would allow parents time to get to King's Cross and pick up their children at the Hogwarts' Express. For a moment he thought of sending an owl to Draco telling his son to come home for the holidays, but he reasoned that as pure-bloods and loyal servants of Voldemort that they were not 'enemies of the heir' and thus safe. Instead, he sent Draco an owl reminding the boy to look for opportunities to assist the heir.

Sitting down with a very old glass of Scotch, he tried to determine how the diary could be working to open the Chamber. He knew that Ginny Weasley was likely a typical young girl and could be easily manipulated, but could she be the one opening the Chamber? He chuckled at the irony of Muggle-loving Arthur Weasley's daughter letting lose the monster from the Chamber. Of course, he could not share this suspicion with anyone, but he could allow the thought to amuse himself.

* * *

At the meeting, he permitted the others time to air their frustrations and complete lack of knowledge on what to do next. One suggested they should summon Dumbledore to answer their questions directly. Others argued that Dumbledore's place was at Hogwarts where he could protect the students.

"He doesn't seem to be doing that right now," Lucius said dryly, taking advantage of the opportunity they had given him.

"And what do you suggest?" snapped Darius Findley.

"I wasn't suggesting anything. I was merely pointing out that allowing Dumbledore to remain at Hogwarts was not preventing the attacks." He tried to sound casual. At this point he wanted to put the idea of removing Dumbledore into the heads of the other governors, but he didn't want them to think it was his idea. As a Malfoy he preferred manipulating events from behind the scenes – at least for now.

For years he had thought that Dumbledore was turning into a doddering old fool, revered for his past deeds, but never evaluated for his current mental state. These attacks could serve the dual purpose of ridding the wizarding world of Mudbloods and finally providing the impetus to remove Dumbledore from his ivory tower – to prove to the wizarding world that he was no longer as great as he was when he'd defeated Grindelwald in his prime.

"Remove Dumbledore?" Findley said, clearly aghast.

"Look, Darius, this is the second attack in a matter of weeks. Clearly this situation is beyond Dumbledore's ability," said Angela Diggory. "His reports have as much said that he has no idea the source of the attacks or what to do to stop them."

"Well do you have an idea?" snapped Findley.

"Of course not," replied Diggory defensively. "I'm not there and don't have any access to any of the evidence… and neither do you."

"I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt then…"

"Until when? Until one of our children is killed? Or did you forget that the last time this happened a student died!" shouted Belvedere Greengrass.

Lucius did his best not to smirk at the chaos he had caused. He listened to the arguments, interjecting when necessary to ensure that his fellow governors took seriously the idea of removing Dumbledore.

By the time the meeting ended, no consensus had been reached, and most of the governors still supported allowing Dumbledore to remain as headmaster and find the perpetrator. But at least Lucius had planted the idea that someone other than Dumbledore might be able to stop the attacks.

* * *

Weeks and then months passed with no further attacks. Lucius began to wonder if young Weasley had become suspicious about the diary. He reminded himself that there was nothing to tie him to the diary. He had made certain that no one witnessed him placing the diary into one of her books. She was young enough that it should not occur to her that he had slipped the diary into her Transfiguration book. After all, people were always finding interesting things inside of used textbooks, and the diary was small enough that it could have been overlooked by the bookstore staff.

It was May when an owl arrived with word that two more students had been attacked. This was the moment he had been waiting for. Now was the time to force the governors to act and remove Dumbledore. He wouldn't leave the meeting without ensuring that the headmaster was removed.

Of course, the attacks would have to stop for the removal to remain permanent, but this was a step in the right direction. With Dumbledore gone, the way could be made for a return to wizarding values and a removal of Mudblood favoritism.

Lucius Apparated to the board meeting. He was neither the first nor the last to arrive. The general mood was one of shock and outrage, and he made to sure to voice his opinion that now was the time for change before the formal meeting started.

Once the meeting was formally convened, he did his best to control his emotions. Most of the governors were still waffling on removing Dumbledore, obviously remembering the man as he was, not as he is. Finally he could not control himself.

"Don't you understand? Do none of you understand that Dumbledore is helpless in the face of these attacks. _Now_ is the time for change. Now is the time to remove him from his position so that we can make way for someone more capable, someone who is not in the twilight of his life."

"Remove him? After all he has done for the school, you suggest we fire him?" asked Angela Diggory.

Lucius waved his hand dismissively. "Call it forced retirement. Whatever you like. The simple truth is that it is time for change at Hogwarts. Dumbledore, and many of the instructors, have been there for decades. Our children will benefit from changes at Hogwarts, and perhaps a younger wizard or witch will be more capable of solving the mystery of the Chamber." Lucius preferred to convince the other governors to voluntarily remove Dumbledore, but he would not leave this meeting without their signatures approving his removal.

"No one knows the castle better than Dumbledore," said Belvedere Greengrass defensively.

"Is that so? Then why has he not been able to find the Chamber? Or I should say, stop the monster since the Chamber is nothing more than a myth." He didn't really believe this, but he wanted the others to believe that. "We all know that last time Rubeus Hagrid was keeping some sort of monster in the castle and that after he was expelled, the attacks stopped." Lucius had already reminded the Minister of this information, and he was sure that it would soon be acted upon.

"Time is running out. For the safety of our children we have to act. I have a declaration that we call the removal of Albus Dumbledore as headmaster. For the safety of our children, we must do this." He slapped the piece of parchment on the table and signed his name to it. "Anyone who does not sign this is condemning our children to death or to the closing of Hogwarts. I will not allow any of you to place my child in jeopardy. Anyone who does not sign this clearly does not care about the future and will pay most dearly for their arrogance in keeping Dumbledore on as headmaster," he said menacingly through gritted teeth. He cast an intimidating gaze at them all, locking eyes with each member until they broke contact first.

One by one, the governors slowly passed the parchment around the table and signed it. He could tell that several were quite reluctant, but one menacing gaze from him let them know that he was serious about this declaration being signed.

Once they had finished, he rolled up the parchment and tucked it into his pocket. "You will not regret this decision." He then spun on his heel to personally deliver the news to Dumbledore. This was a good day indeed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Once again, there had been a long lull since the last attack of the 'Chamber's monster'. Lucius was not worried because this lull served to prove his point that the attacks were happening because of Dumbledore. Presuming there were no further attacks, it should be quite simple for him to permanently remove of a headmaster who should have left long ago. Already he was devising a list of acceptable candidates.

Naturally Severus Snape was on that list – the appointment of another Slytherin headmaster was long overdue. But he was also careful to include those from other houses, but ones who he felt were less qualified than Severus. Some might argue that Severus was too young to be headmaster, but he had a great deal of teaching experience that could not be overlooked. And it would easily be argued that now was the time for youth.

While he was relieved there were no more attacks, he was at the same time concerned. Clearly his master had a motive for sending his diary to Hogwarts, and Lucius had to believe that had not yet been accomplished. The removal of Dumbledore alone did not seem like enough reason to have wanted to be there, especially since the diary had been insistent about being with a Gryffindor child in order to be in the same house as Potter. No, the Dark Lord clearly had plans with Potter, and so far the boy was unscathed.

With the school year close to ending, Lucius knew that his master would have to act soon. If the Weasley girl took the diary home, it was likely to be discovered by her parents. Arthur Weasley may be a Muggle loving blood traitor, but the man was not an idiot. While Lucius knew that the diary would never reveal its secrets to Arthur, it would likely be destroyed as the Dark artifact that it was.

Unfortunately, there was nothing Lucius could do other than wait. By removing Dumbledore, he had eased the path of his Master's plan, but he could do nothing to see the plan to fruition. If only the diary had seen fit to reveal the plan to him – he could

* * *

Lucius and Narcissa were finishing dinner when Dobby brought him a letter carried on a silver tray. After dabbing at the corners of his mouth with his napkin, he picked up the letter and opened it.

He arched an eyebrow in surprise.

"What is it?" Narcissa asked, her curiosity piqued by her husband's expression.

"A student has been taken into the Chamber of Secrets… the Weasley girl," he replied unemotionally and set the letter down on the table beside his plate.

"Thank goodness it wasn't someone from a proper family. But I still suppose it's not good, is it?" Narcissa continued eating her pudding.

"No, it's not." He knew that in his grandfather's time the death of a student had almost closed the school. It had been blamed on a monster owned by that oaf Hagrid – which had apparently been proven true because the attacks had stopped, allowing the school to remain open. Now, there was no Hagrid to blame – he had already been sent to Azkaban.

Lucius trusted that his master had a plan, and he supposed that killing The-Boy-Who-Lived would be a valid trade for closing Hogwarts. Those who mattered in the Wizarding world would be able to send their children to Durmstrang and those who didn't… Well, he shared the Dark Lord's belief that there was no place for Mudbloods in their world, and it most certainly would not be a loss. But he would still lose a little influence with no board of governors to chair.

All he could do now was wait and see what the response from the others would be. There really was no option to keep the school open – the parents would never allow it. Unless of course the perpetrator was caught, which would not happen because he was fairly certainly young Weasley had been the one opening the Chamber. Which meant…

He grinned triumphantly. His master was using her as bait to lure Potter. This was shaping up to be a marvelous day. He was about to be rid of Potter and the Weasley's were about to see their social standing fall even father when it was revealed their daughter had opened the Chamber.

His joy turned to disappointment as he realized that the Weasley name would linked to the Heir of Slytherin. Well, some things could clearly not be avoided, and he would learn to accept it.

* * *

Strangely by the time Malfoy was preparing for bed, he still had not received any owls from the other members of the board. This started to concern him. There should have been some discussion, some call for a meeting by now. He knew Minerva McGonagall and she would have sent owls to all the governors, not just him. He considered sending owls proposing just that, but he reasoned that it was late enough that it could wait until morning. There was nothing that they could do to assist the Weasley girl.

He was just settling into bed when there was an urgent tapping at his window. He vowed to curse whoever it was who had sent him an owl at this hour of the night into the next century, even though he was reasonably sure who sent the owl.

After he removed the letter, the owl immediately left. As he had expected, the missive was from Severus Snape. No one else would dare send an owl directly to him in the middle of the night.

"What is it?" Narcissa asked groggily, propping herself on her elbow.

"Dobby!" he shouted as he started to change back into his clothes. "Dumbledore has returned to Hogwarts. I need to see to this personally." Obviously the other members of the board had decided to work around him. He would see to them later. They would learn that it was unwise to cross a Malfoy.

The house-elf appeared in the room, still polishing his master's shoes. "There is no time," he snapped as he presented his foot to the elf. Dobby diligently put his master's shoes on and still continued to try to polish them, not wanting to let his master leave the house without looking his best.

Lucius Disapparated to Hogsmeade with a swish of his cloak, determined to finally remove Dumbledore permanently.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy returned home angry and humiliated. His fellow members of the board of governors had turned against him. He was positive that he would be removed, so the first thing he had to do was pen a letter of resignation. He could be truthful and diplomatic in admitting that there was a difference of opinion on how Hogwarts should be run and that he could no longer in good conscience be a governor. It would sound hollow, but on the surface it would preserve his reputation.

The more humiliating issue was that not only had Lord Voldemort once again been defeated by Harry Potter, but that insolent brat had managed to set his house-elf free. Dobby had been more trouble than he had been worth and it was probably best to be rid of that deceitful elf, but it was the principle of the matter. One day Potter would get what was coming to him and Lucius intended to be there to witness that event.

The one saving grace is that there was no way to prove any of the allegations against him. No one could prove he had anything to do with diary, especially now that it had been destroyed. The governors had no proof that he had threatened to curse them, so those allegations would never come forth because he would surely prevail in proving they were slandering him. His family was too old, too rich and too powerful to be brought down.

He was a Malfoy and would survive.


End file.
